The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) is an arm of the Lagos State Police Command. It was set up to speedily respond to emergencies within the state. It carries out regular patrols of the state and have various 'pinning-down' points across the city. The RRS responds to distress calls made to 767 and 112.

Monday, 5 December 2016

RRS Nabs Internet Fraudsters

For the second time in less than a month, operatives of
the Rapid Response Squad of Lagos State Police Command have arrested three
people for being members of an internet fraud gang that swindled a property
dealer in Lagos State the sum of N3.8 million while posing as a client.

The suspects are part of the internet fraudsters that
specialised in hacking into email addresses and using them to send messages
seeking transfer of funds in tranches to different accounts.

Unlike the present gang, the other gang, comprising of
four young men were arrested in Onitsha for hacking into the email account of
the CEO of a popular lotto company based in Lagos, and sought the transfer of
five million naira cumulatively into four separate accounts.

According to the Lagos based estate agent, name withheld,
“I received an email (withheld) giving payment instructions.

The owner of the email
address is my client. It gave payment instructions to transfer funds in my
custody to an account belonging to one Emmanuel Ajinubi with First bank Account
No. 3046974892.

The first transfer of N800,000 was on 24th October, 2016.
On 27th October, 2016, there was another instruction to transfer N530,000 to
same account.

On 1st November, 2016, I transferred N720, 000 into
Ifenancho Kingsley, First Bank, Account 3050290672 and further instruction the
following day of N850,000 to same account.

The total amount transferred into the two accounts was
N3, 820,000.

Just after the payment on 2nd November, my client called
me that was when we realised that the payment instructions did not emanate from
him, rather, it was made by fraudsters,” he explained.

One of the suspect whose account was used during the
transfer, Ifeanacho Kingsley, admitted that two separate transactions of
N720,000 and N850,000 were transferred into his account, adding that, a family
friend, Chinedu Emmanuel, had requested for his account details and thereafter
took his ATM card and PIN to withdraw the money.

“The first alert of N720,000, I got on my phone, but
within a twinkle of an eye, the money was wiped from my account.

The following day, I got another alert of N850, 000.
Almost instantly, there were lots of POS transactions bearing “Grand POS”
Asaba.

Since then, I have not seen him and I don’t know the kind
of job he does. As I talk to you, my ATM card is still with him.

Another suspect, Olisa Oyegbuka told investigators that
his friend, Egbuka, who was arrested by RRS few weeks earlier, was the one who
used his account to funnel N800, 000 into a Fidelity Bank Account belonging to
one Tamino.

RRS investigators added that efforts are still on-going
to arrest other members of the gangs who they believed are directly involved in
the hacking into of some corporate and individuals’ email for fraudulent
purposes.

Responding to the incident, the Police PPRO, SP Dolapo
Badmos, warned criminals using other states as a base to perpetuate crime in
Lagos that the Command would get them from their hideouts.

The three suspects have been transferred to SCID for
further investigations.